Touch Wood… And It’s Not Just For Luck!

Woodwork provide unique learning experiences for young children. It’s rich in many areas of learning and development, and is an activity which children really enjoy, being absorbed for extended periods of time and always wanting to do more.

This week the preschool room was turned into a spontaneous workshop!

Woodworking  projects encompass creative thinking, maths skills, scientific investigation, physical development and coordination, developing language and vocabulary, and much more. It has the potential to build self-esteem, confidence and immense pride. This is for a combination of reasons; through being empowered to use real tools, by being given trust, responsibility, accomplishing tasks that they initially feel to be challenging, developing new skills and finally taking pride in their attempts and creations.

Katie our word working expert, educator and all round handy-person is passionate about the depth that woodwork has to offer young children given the correct guidance and supervision. Sadly, there is now very little if any practical woodwork offered to primary or secondary children so for many this experience in early years maybe their only experience of using tools and making creations in this way. We agree with Katie that the skills to make and repair are as important as our ability to think creatively.

About Katie

Katie was born and raised in the South East of England, where she worked in Health and Fitness. She moved to Sydney in 2004 and began studying for her Diploma in Early childhood Education. She is currently studying for her Bachelor’s in Education. Katie loves her role within the preschool room and the incredible programs that as he has helped to build, including the woodwork program, which she introduced to Ballykin.